Summary

Greece is known for it's wonderful culture and history. It is one of the oldest countries in the whole world, but is still flourishing with the beauty of the gorgeous oceans and landscapes. As far back as 120,000 BC, people inhabited Greece and made it their own. They invented all the simplest things we use ever day such as the alphabet, scripture, government, and even the Olympics! As sophisticated as Greece sounds, they really had no idea as to how things worked. Science was not yet thought of and the ways things happened was a mystery to the Greeks. Gods and Goddesses were their way of explaining life. If a storm blew in and the waters were too rough to sail, they thought the Greek god Poisedon, god of the seas, was punishing them. The Greek aristocrats were people who literally walked around and thought of ideas. Aristocrats such as Plato and Aristotle were greatly known in Greece. As Greece began to develop, the Greeks became more familiar with agriculture, natural disasters, and fighting. This period was called the Neolithic period which began in 6500 BC. As years went by, people had thought of just about everything! But in 776 BC in the mighty city of Olympia, they invented the Olympic games. These games were a true test of ones strength, courage, and agility. Games included discus, 200-meter sprint, wrestling, and chariot races! Winners of the Olympics had ultimate glory and recieved a wreath of olive branches. Greek life may have seemed like all fun and games but later on came some gruesome battles. Not only with outside enemies, but amoung themselves also. Major wars include the Trojan War, the Sacred War of Delphi, Persian War, World War II, and Greece Revolution of Independence. In the end, Greece became an indpendent nation and joined the United Nations for world peace. Athens remains there capital and it is a tourists attraction for everyone in the world. They come around to see the wonderful architecture of the coliseums of worship for the Greek gods.

__Some Fun Facts About Greece __  
 * The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic.
 * Athens is the capital of Greece. It is also the most populated city in the country.
 * Ancient Greek civilization comprised of Southern Italy, the coastal areas of Turkey and the Black Sea, along with some colonies in North Africa, Southern France and Spain. Modern Greece is just a part of it.
 * 80 percent landscape of Greece comprises of mountains. Only one half of the country is covered by forests, the other half is barren.
 * There are about 3000 islands in Greece. However, only a few hundred of them are inhabited.
 * Greece boasts of having 7,000 (limestone) caves, which form 24,000 km of underground galleries.
 * Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, with a height of 2,919m. It is believed to have served as the home of the Gods in the ancient Greek religion.
 * As per 2007 UNICEF report, Greece had the lowest percentage of teenagers smoking ciggarettes (or cannabis) or living in a step family structure.
 * WHO 2002 stats state that Greek men and women have the highest incidence of obesity in Europe.
 * The renowned Belgian pralines Leonidas have been named after the 5th century BC King of Sparta, who was homonymous.
 * Greece spreads over an area of somewhere around 51,000 square miles, with the length of its coastline being 9,300 miles.
 * There are as many as 63 different folk dances in Greece.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The popular yo-yo toy, the second oldest known toy in the world, originated in the days of ancient Greece, around 3,000 years ago.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Traditionally, Greeks have been known to celebrate their name days, rather than their birth dates.
 * When the Roman Empire split in two in A.D. 285, the eastern half, including Greece, became known as the Byzantine Empire. In 1453 A.D., Greece fell to the Ottoman Empire. Greece wouldn’t achieve independence until 1829.
 * The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic.
 * Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, with a height of 2,919m. It is believed to have served as the home of the Gods in the ancient Greek religion.